Postdoctoral hosting in Competition Law & Policy

The Centre for Competition Policy and Market Regulation offers an excellent host environment for postdoctoral researchers seeking to develop a competitive MSCA-PF 2026 proposal in Competition Law and Policy.

With over 25 years of academic excellence, the Centre combines rigorous legal and economic research with strong policy engagement. As part of the Royal University Institute of European Studies (Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence), it provides a distinctive European and global perspective on competition enforcement, digital regulation, sustainability transitions, industrial policy and international economic governance.

The Centre has led and participated in major national and European projects, including several Spanish National Research Plan grants and prestigious Jean Monnet actions (Chair and Network). It maintains close institutional links with the Spanish National Markets and Competition Commission (CNMC), the European Commission (DG COMP), and leading law and economic consultancy firms. Researchers may benefit from structured interaction with regulators and the possibility of internships at the CNMC.

We welcome ambitious and innovative proposals aligned with:

• Competition Law and Digital Markets

• Competition Law and Sustainability

• Competition, Regulation and Industrial Policy

Particularly encouraged topics include the Digital Markets Act, AI and Big Data in competition enforcement, cartel detection and cooperation agreements, abuse of dominance, merger control, State aid, Foreign Subsidies Regulation, FDI screening, and the intersection between competition and data protection.

The Law School also hosts a Google Chair in Privacy, Society and Innovation, fostering interdisciplinary collaboration in digital governance and data regulation. The Institute maintains strong partnerships with leading institutions in Europe, the United States and China, offering a truly international research network.

Supervision

The project will be supervised by Prof. Jerónimo Maillo González-Orús, an established scholar in Competition Law, member of ASCOLA and AEDC, and former Non-Governmental Advisor to the International Competition Network (ICN). The Fellow will benefit from close mentoring, integration into ongoing research activities, and strategic guidance in developing a high-impact MSCA proposal.

Universidad CEU San Pablo (USP-CEU) is a competitive and supportive host institution for MSCA-PF candidates. The University has a strong track record, including 10 awarded fellowships, an exceptional 100/100 evaluation score, and two recent successes in the MSCA-PF 2025 call.

Candidates receive personalised guidance throughout the proposal preparation process, including strategic feedback and institutional support. In addition, USP-CEU’s International Talent Retention Programme offers successful MSCA Fellows an additional 6–12-month contract to support long-term career development and consolidation beyond the MSCA period.

Candidate Profile

We seek excellent postdoctoral researchers (maximum 8 years after PhD) with a strong legal and/or economic background in competition policy or related areas, a clear and ambitious research agenda, and the intention to choose CEU San Pablo University as host institution in Madrid. Fluency in English is required; Spanish is an asset but not mandatory.

Expression of Interest, candidates should send:

• A short CV (max. 2 pages)

• Two reference letters

• A one-page research proposal outline

to Prof. Maillo (maigon@ceu.es and Gabriela Garibay (gabriela.garibaymarin@ceu.es.